Pretty Little Liars Burning Question: Is Ali "A"?

It’s always been the lingering question on Pretty Little Liars: Could Alison DiLaurentis (Sasha Pieterse) be “A”? Even after Ali’s “body” was found in the PLL pilot, the Liars never seemed completely convinced their bestie was dead and, when secrets only she knew about them started coming out, Ali’s “A”-ness seemed even more possible. Much has changed since those early days — Ali’s back from the dead, for one — but the question still remains: Is Ali “A”?

Yes, She’s Always Been “A”

The likelihood of multiple “A”s being so hell bent on revenge against Alison and everyone she loves (i.e. the Liars) has always seemed questionable, but we let it go because this is a TV show. But what if we should question that possibility? Isn’t it more likely that, rather than multiple villains, this small town has only one: Alison. If she has been alive this whole time, then she could have been manipulating Rosewood’s residents since the beginning. She’s demonstrated herself capable many times and all of the deaths can be connected back to her in some way.

No, But Her Twin Is “A”

On the other hand, we have seen Ali fall victim to “A” many times, too. Sure, these could be more ruses set up to convince others that she is not the mysterious villain, but we’re not so sure. That almost death-by-scarf seemed pretty real. If Emily hadn’t shown up at Ali’s house, Ali might be dead. We think the truth might be closer to the explanation from the book series. In the books, Alison had a twin called Courtney, who was a patient at Radley. When Courtney swapped places with Ali, convincing their parents that she was the real Ali, Ali escaped from Radley and murdered her own twin sister. We don’t think PLL the show will follow the book plot exactly, but we think there’s a strong possibility that there are DiLaurentis twins. In a departure from the book series, however, both are possibly still alive. One is “A”, and one is her victim.

No, Someone Else Is “A”

Let’s face it: there are plenty of suspicious characters in Rosewood who could be responsible for all of the “A” shenanigans. PLL the show tends to strike its own path, away from the plot of the book, which is why we think “A” might not be an Alison/Courtney DiLaurentis at all. The show’s creators even went so far as to confirm that they'll be doing things differently than in the books. How differently?

Do you think Ali is “A”? Why or why not? Share your best theories in the comments below!

Catch the next episode of Pretty Little Liars on Tuesday, August 19 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC Family.

Kayti Burt is a contributing writer for Wetpaint Entertainment with a penchant for all things pop culture. Follow her on Twitter and Google+!